One of the most exciting discoveries of becoming a graduate student was that I could check out university library books for a whole semester. It didn't take me long to figure out that I no longer had to buy textbooks if I could just check them out for the whole semester. Now that I'm not taking classes anymore, I don't mind sharing my method because no one wants the books I'm checking out. How can I be sure? Because the majority of "my" books have stamps from me and only me in them. How do I know this? Because I'm usually the first person to check out the book: It has no barcode, no stamps, no old school librarian file card envelopes, no library stamp.
I consider myself to be a benevolent guardian. I "adopt" the books, give them new fancy library accessories, a nice home and access to the best gossip on the 5th floor. I hope that each of these books enjoy being my ward. After all, I've seen Annie, Oliver and The Rescuers and I've read books like Anne of Green Gables, The Little Princess, The Secret Garden and Jane Eyre. Orphans want to be adopted. And even those orphans who don't want to be adopted usually come around and enjoy it after all (I read The Boxcar Children too). Some orphaned books have been waiting to be checked out for decades and have collected a lot of dust. Others have been prone to overcrowding and no longer have a proper place on the shelf: they have been smushed and pushed aside by fancier looking books. I know that I can't adopt them all, but I try to do my part.
Each semester I visit the library on the first day of classes and check out the same books for another 5 months. Then each book sits on my office bookshelf for five months, ready for me to open it, read it, check references and place it back on the shelf. Personally, I think these books like the change in scenery. The library is nice, but it's a little crowded for some of "my" books. "My" books get a view. Now that I'm on the 5th floor instead of the 8th, my view isn't as nice. I can hardly see Lake Michigan from the 5th floor, but there is a sunset, St. Robert's Church, some lovely trees and a view of the library (incase "my" books get homesick). Occasionally, I take "my" books on outings- home, coffee shops, other libraries...but usually they just stay in my office until the end of the semester, when I have to return them or pay fines.
Others don't usually request "my" books, but when it does happen, I return "mine" to the library and wait for their return.When they come back, I loveingly check them for bumps and bruises, then set them back on the shelf.
Sometimes I find books that others once lovingly kept. I can tell if said books were under the guardianship of other faculty members within my department. For example, books kept by "Dumbledore" have specific markings: Next to every line which contains questionable grammar, a <?> appears in the margin. Lines with new vocabular words have been underlined, and <x> notations appear in the margins whenever Dumbledore's reading was interrupted. Likewise, all of "Yoda's" books have stamps on the first page, banding them as his alienable possesions. "Pumpkin" doesn't check out books because he doesn't read anymore unless it's about Korean and everyone else just makes their grad students scan copies of books for them so that they don't have to leave their office.
Now I have an abundance of books from other libraries. I consider them to be "exchange students." For a short time, I will provide them room without board, pay attention to them when they are interesting, and send them back when they are annoying. I will then write about the experience with each said exchange student in an annotated bibliography and make myself sound more exotic than I really am.
And when do I get to recheck out my beloved wards? On Monday, when there will be a high of 33 degrees instead of 5.
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